Kalash (AK-74M)
The Kalash, also known as the AK (Avtomat Kalashnikova), or its full name, the AK-74 ( NOT AK-47 this is a common mistake the AK-74 is chambered for the 5.45mm round), a military-grade assault rifle pre-dating the nuclear war that drove humanity underground. As a pre-war weapon, it shows superior craftsmanship and manufacturing, and is highly prized for its ability to keep working in even the worst climatic conditions - a reputation that has carried through the great war. Considered by many to be among the finest weapons available in the underground, the AK-47's rugged reliability makes it highly-prized. It can fire Military-Grade Ammunition (and benefits considerably from it). Bourbon offers Artyom his Kalash AK-74 as a reward for helping him get from Riga to Dry Station. His AK is the first in the game you can collect, unless you have managed to find/trade enough Military-Grade Rounds to purchase one, but this is unlikely as you would have to find all the MGR and sell a large amount of Dirty Rounds to have enough to purchase it. History The Kalashnikov family of assault rifles, developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov, and which includes over a dozen variations, most notably the AK-47 which has gained a notorious reputation for being such an effective weapon, and it is used all over the world in many countries. The weapon featured in the game however, is an AK-74M, a modernized version of the AK-74, which was a newer AK made to replace the aging AK-47 that had been in the military since the 50's. The true difference with the AK-74M is mostly the internal mechanisms being overhauled, and that the weapon was designed to take smaller rounds, the 5.45x39mm rounds, replacing the AK-47's 7.62x39mm rounds. The weapons design is known for it's durability, being able to withstand much punishment and still function properly. It has seen war most likely more than any other assault rifle in the world. It's durability is portrayed in the game, by surviving a total nuclear apocalypse and still functioning. Tactics and Use The Kalash AK-74M is the most powerful of the automatic weapons in the game in terms of single-shot damage; it also has the second slowest fire rate of the group, and moderate accuracy, being quite accurate when fired in single shots or bursts, and becoming significantly less accurate when fired on full-auto. While it lacks the blistering fire rate of the Kalash 2012 or Bastard and lacks the stealthiness of the VSV, it makes up for this by having considerably higher single-round damage and being much more thrifty on ammo than the former two and much more powerful per-shot than the latter. It's widely available and easy-to-get early on; both aspects that appeal to those on a budget. Note, however, that the Kalash's general thriftiness on bullets and fairly middling stats are also its curse. Its accuracy is not superior to that of the VSV; it does not have the raw ammo-dumping power of the Bastard; and it does not have the nigh-perfect blend of speed and power that the Kalash 2012 does. It also, unlike the other three weapons, lacks anything resembling stealth; it is quite loud, and tends to alert every single enemy in the area when fired. Play to its strengths, if you intend to maximize its effectiveness, and stick with it over the other automatics. Note that enemies using it (and there's a lot of them doing so) are considerably more dangerous than those armed with Bastards; they will miss less often and do considerably more damage if they hit you - and they will hit you far more reliably at a distance. Be careful. A worthy weapon in every aspect. Variants and obtaining There are several variants of it that can be found. All costs are in MGR (Military-Grade rounds), the cost depends on the value of the weapon you have in that slot. Kalash: A standard AK-74M with standard steel sights. *Can be bought in Armory. *Can be found for free, first time in Dry. After Bourbon gets captured , turn around 180 degrees and at the end of the tunnel you'll find your promised AK. Kalash with Scope: An AK-74M with a PSO-01 scope. Note that the PSO-01 scope is dirty, meaning it's hard to use in anything other than broad daylight and is nearly impossible to use with night vision on. Also note that this version does NOT come with laser dot, so if you're playing with crosshair off/on Ranger difficulty it might be hard to use at close to medium distances. *Can be bought in Armory *Can be found for free, first time in ??? Kalash with Scope, Laser Dot and Bayonet: Cannot be acquired or used by Artyom. It is carried by Miller. Kalash with Laser Dot and Bayonet Cannot be acquired or used by Artyom. It is carried by Khan and several other Rangers. ' Kalash with Scope and Bayonet : '''' Cannot be acquired or used by Artyom. It is carried by Hunter.He's Kalash was upgrade fire rate. There are also several modified versions found in the bodies of Stalkers such as the AKS-74M and some that appear to be custom made. There even are some AK-47s and AKS-47s. These are easier to notice on the level Frontline as they are scattered all over the place. None of them can be acquired or used by Artyom. Trivia *No new AK-74Ms have been produced since the disaster of 2013, but there are a lot of Metro-made clones all over the place. *Avtomat Kalashnikovas in real-life were made to withstand any environment, so the ones in-game might be meant to show that the AKs were, as it has been long-suspected, able to withstand much punishment and hardships. *The name "Kalash" is possibly derived from Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of widely used rifles around the world: the AK-47. It may also have been derived from a jargon used to call Kalashnikov rifles. *Its akward that the magazine exposes the bullets. This would cause the bullets to become dirty and cause them to occasionly not cycle into the rifle. *If left idle, Artyom will run his finger along the exposed bullets in the magazine. Category:Weapons